St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-11

all those boats would have gone to the
bottom of Gennesaret if Christ had not
been present. Oh, what lesson for you
and for me to learn! We must always
hove Christ in the ship. Whatever voy-
ag, we take, into whatever enterprise
We start, let us always have Christ in the
ship. Many of you in these days OF re-
vived commerce are starting out in new
financial enterprises. | bid you good
cheer. Do all you can do. Do it on as
high plane as possible. You have no
right to be a stoker in the ship If you
can be an admiral of the navy. You
have no right to be colonel of a regi-
ment if YOU can command brigade;
You have no right to be engineer of a
boat on river banks, or near the coast, if
you can take the ocean steamer from
New York to Liverpool All you can do
with utmost tension of body, mind and
soul, you are bound to do; but oh have
Christ in every enterprise, Christ in
every voyage, Christ in every ship.
There are men here who ask God to
help them at the start of great enter
prises. He has been with them in the
past; no trouble can overthrow them;
the storm might come down from the
top of Mount Hermon and lash Genne-
saret into foam and into agony, but it
could not hurt them.
But here is another man who starts
out in worldly enterprise and he depends
upon the uncertainties of this life. He
has no God to help him. After a while
the storm comes and losses off the masts
of the ship; he puts out his life-boat and
the long boat; the sheriff and the auc-
tioneer try to help him off; they can't
help him off; he must go down; no
Christ in the ship. Here are young men
just starting out in life. Your life will
be made up of sunshine and shadow
There may be in it Arctic blasts, or trop-
zeal tornadoes; | know not what is be-
fore you, but | know if you have Christ
with you all shall be we'll.
You may seem to get along without
the religion of Christ while everything
goes smoothly, but after while, when sor-
row hovers over the soul, when the
waves of trial dash clear over the hurri
cane deck, and the decks are crowded
with piratical disasters-oh, what would
YOU do then without Christ in the ship :?
Young man, take God for your portion,
God for yourguide, God for your help; then
all is we'll; all is well for time, all shall
be we'll forever. Blessed is that man who
puts in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth
sailing.
These disciples got into the small boats.
and | have no doubt they said, ''What a
beautiful day this is! What smooth
sea! What bright sky this is! How
delightful is sailing in this boat and as
for the waves under the keel of the boat,
why, they only make the motion of our
little boat the more delightful" But
when the winds swept down, and the sea
was tossed into wrath, then they found
that following Christ was not smooth
sailing. So you have found it; so have
found it. Did you ever notice the end of
the life of the apostles of Jesus Christ ?
You would say if ever men ought to have
had a smooth life, smooth departure,
then those men, the disciples of Jesus
Christ, ought to have had such a de-
parture and such life.
St. James lost his head. St. Philip was
hung to death on pillar. St. Matthew
had his life dashed out with a halbert. St.
Mark was dragged to death through the
streets ST. James the Less was beaten
to death with fullers club. St. Thomas
was struck through with spear. They
did not find following Christ smooth
sailing. Oh, how they were all tossed in
the tempest! John Huss in the fire;
Hugh McKail in the hour of martyrdom
the Albigenses, the Waldenses, the Scotch
Covenanters-did they find it smooth
sailing?
But why 60 to history when can come
into this audience to-day and find score
of illustrations of the truth of this sub
iect That young man in the store trying
to serve God, while his employer SCOTS
at Christianity, the young men in the
same store antagonistic to the Christian
religion, teasing him, tormenting hin
about his religion, trying to get him mad
They succeed in getting him mad, say
ing you're pretty Christian" Does
this young man find it smooth sailing
when he tries to follow Christ? Here is
Christian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religion; her mother despise:
! the Christian religion; her brothers anC
sisters scott at the Christian religion
she can hardly find quiet place in which
| to say her prayers. Did she find il
smooth sailing when she tried to follow
Jesus Christ? Oh, no. all who would
| live the life of the Christian religion
must suffer persecution; if you do no
find it in one way, you will get it il
another way.
| The question was asked: "Who arr
| those nearest the throne?" and the an
| swer came back: "These are they whr
came up out of great tribulation; grea
failing, as the original has it; grea
failing, great pounding land had thei
robes washed and made. white in thu
blood of the Lamb" Oh, do not be dis
heartened! Oh, child of God! taxi
courage. You are in glorious compan
ionship. God will see you throu n al
these trials, and He will deliver you.
My subject also impresses me with tn
fact that good people sometimes get yer.
much frightened.
In The tones of these disciples as the,
rushed into the back part of the boat,
find they are frightened almost to death
They say: "Masler, carest Thou not tina
we perish p They had no reason to b.
frightened, for Christ was in the boat
I suppose if we had been there we woul'
have been just as much atfrightened
! Perhaps more.
In all ages very good people get yer,
much affrightened. 1t is often so in GU
day, and men say: "Why, look at.th
bad lectures look at the Spiritualisti
| coo;o+;oc. 1ooI, at tho variouS errors po